MENDELU shows what true AI digitisation of a university can look like step by step: from a pilot in one faculty to a broader layer of accessibility across the university.
The digitization of a university usually doesn’t start with a grand vision. It starts with a very practical problem. Students and applicants ask similar questions over and over again. Information is fragmented. Study departments and other departments deal with repetitive queries that could be dealt with more quickly if the university could speak more simply and accessibly.
This is why MENDELU is one of Citymind’s most important case studies. It is not one isolated deployment. It is an example of how AI can be deployed in a phased, meaningful way across multiple layers of operations at a university.
From pilot to wider deployment
At Mendel University it all started with a pilot at PEF. As soon as it became clear that the chatbot eases the study traffic and gives users a better first contact with information, further expansion followed. Gradually, dormitories and the canteen, the IT department, the sports centre and other parts of the university were added.
AI reports in practice
Today, the chatbot handled more than 55.5 thousand questions at the PEF MENDELU and correctly handled 92.8% of relevant questions. More than half of the conversations took place out of office hours and returned over 1,339 hours of time to the university.
But AI reports are just as important. They show which topics are strong, which are hot, and where communication needs a new layer of explanation. Admissions makes up 62% of all topics here and has a high long-term success rate. At the same time, questions around e-enrolment, registrations, waivers for admissions or final papers are recurring.
This is where we see that unanswered questions are not just a problem. They are also a practical signal of what the university should add, simplify or better explain on the web.
Statement from the PEF management
“A year ago, we launched a digital assistant on the website of the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno in cooperation with Citymind, which helps students and academic staff to solve their questions related to educational activities.”
Jan Přichystal, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics at MENDELU
“I would like to gradually replace the University Information System with digital assistants.”
Jan Přichystal, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics at MENDELU
Next layer: dormitories and canteen
There is also strong deployment in the dorms and canteen. There, students don’t need a complex system. They need to quickly figure out how housing, moving, rules and administration works. Here, too, the chatbot correctly handles 85.8% of queries, and more than half of the interactions take place outside of office hours.
“I used your chatbot in MENDELU dorms when I wanted to move. In addition to finding information for me, it even prepped an email for the administration, which saved me time and trouble with wording. He is a great helper!”
Tereza Wagnerová, Google reviews
It is this experience that shows well that AI is not just helping to find the answer here. It also helps to manage the next step. And that’s an extremely strong value for student services.
What does the digitalisation of a university look like if it doesn’t stay on one pilot?
AI reports show what topics students and applicants are addressing the most, what is hot and where there is a lack of clear explanation. This gives the university not only another channel of communication, but also a much better overview of where it makes sense to improve the website and processes.